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Saturday, 26 September 2015

Promo Post - The Blade Heir by Daniel Adorno

Nostra suffers recurring nightmares of the black dragon. The frightening

dreams signal the ominous return of the dragon tribes that wreaked havoc

on the peoples of Azuleah. Confused and uncertain of his role in the

gathering storm, Lucius joins his elf brother Siegfried on a perilous

journey to reforge the Requiem Sword--the blade which once defeated

Kraegyn.

Lucius' quest will take him through the kingdom of elves, dwarves, and

faeries. Though he will gain allies on his quest and uncover secrets

surrounding his past, can Lucius survive long enough to stop Kraegyn's

ascension?

The Blade Heir is Daniel Adorno's first novel in a series of Christian

fantasy for teens and adults. This is an epic fantasy adventure readers of

all ages can enjoy.

Excerpt

ONE

Into the Deep

The blue mist
permeated the air once more and enveloped Lucius in the darkness of
the land of Azuleah. Before him stood a great fortress, once
prominent and awe-inspiring but now an empty shell of its former
glory. Its towers stood ominously above him, dark sentinels beside
the massive gate of the fortress known as Arkadeus. It was a sight to
behold, both awe-inspiring and fearsome to Lucius.

From the outside,
Lucius saw mist emanating from the open gate and he walked closer,
entering the place where darkness dwelled and awaited him. He passed
slowly through the mold-ridden doors. Once inside, he found himself
at the outer edge of a massive courtyard with a fountain at its
center. The blue haze surrounded him and radiated a surreal light
within the courtyard. On each side of the front gate there were
stairs rising up to the ramparts of the stronghold where tattered
flags hung lifelessly from the sentry posts along the inner wall.
Broken spears and arrow shafts lay strewn on the courtyard floor,
evidence of a grand battle fought long ago. Beyond the aged fountain,
there was an arched doorway leading deeper inside the halls of the
old fortress. Every few seconds, the fog would billow out from the
doorway like smoke from the mouth of a pipe. Lucius made his way to
the entrance, fearing what lay within the bowels of Arkadeus.

He peered inside
and saw a long corridor with oak doors on each side. The mist floated
above the floor and cast an eerie light on the cracked and moldy
walls. A stench hung in the air, and as Lucius continued inside, it
grew fouler, causing his stomach to wrench. He tried to open the
doors within the corridor, but they were locked. And after the third
door, he gave up and followed the mist toward the end of the hall.

Lucius stepped
through another arched doorway and found himself inside a room full
of overturned tables, shattered pots, and broken chairs. The mist was
thicker inside this room and the stench stronger. A doorway to the
right led to a descending staircase, while the one to his left
ascended to some upper level of the dark fortress. Another doorway
straight ahead was blocked with rubble and refuse. He glanced to his
right and saw the fog billowing from that doorway, so he crept closer
toward it. The putrid stench filled his nostrils and nauseated him.
His uneasiness intensified as he descended the spiral staircase, but
he could not retreat—some force beckoned him further down. The
blue, hazy light seemed to brighten more with each step he took.
Deepening dread began to overtake him, and he feared what evil lay at
the end of his descent.

The staircase
ended in a narrow hallway where the blue light shone steadily. Lucius
heard a faint whisper calling to him from a glowing chamber at the
end of the hall. He reluctantly drew closer to the light. Its gleam
enticed him, pervading his every thought. The walls of the hallway
bore arcane inscriptions and runes unknown to Lucius. He stopped just
outside of the room and peered inside.

The stench was
now burning his nostrils, and he fought to keep himself from
retching. Within the round room, a blanket of fog covered the entire
floor. He examined the walls of the chamber in the blue glow and
noticed dark stains along the porous stone surface. Rusty hooks and
chains hung from many places in the room. In the center of the room,
Lucius noticed a small bump protruding from the mist. He squinted his
eyes to examine the object in the dim light and soon realized it was
glaring at him. The bump had two unblinking, dark eyes peering above
the mist, keeping a steady gaze on Lucius. He wanted to run and hide
from the bump's relentless stare, but his legs were frozen in place.

The bump did not move, and Lucius did not look away, fearing any
movement might bring about his end.

His fear kept him
motionless. But after a few minutes, Lucius broke his stare and
quickly looked around for any kind of weapon. He saw nothing except
the swirling fog around him. His eyes darted back to the shadowy eyes
at the center of the room. They had not stirred in the slightest.
Lucius crouched down, keeping his eyes fixed on the creature before
him. He ran his fingers along the cold, damp floor hastily searching
for a weapon. His hand felt something hard. He quickly snatched it up
and gripped it with his right hand, eyes still trained ahead. The
object was light, but felt hard enough to inflict some damage to the
creature with a powerful thrust.

He hesitated a
moment before attacking the unblinking bump challenging him within
the dancing blue cloud. With a yell, he dashed forward, raising his
right arm over his head, ready to strike. But before he could smite
his enemy, Lucius stopped abruptly and, to his horror, finally
realized what lay at his feet.

A human skull
upon a pile of bones stared blankly at him as he lowered his weapon.
His heart thumped rapidly in his chest. He had never seen the remains
of a man before, and it soon became apparent the chamber he had
wandered into served a dark purpose. The round room was a dungeon of
some sort, and the stains upon the walls were the blood of those
unfortunate souls who had ventured inside. Panic swelled within him.
He raised his arm to wipe the sweat from his brow and gasped when he
saw his weapon was a thigh bone. He dropped it and frantically wiped
his hand on his vest. The sound of hoarse laughter from above
startled him.

Lucius looked
overhead, but only saw a dark expanse. The laughter subsided, and a
faint whisper called out his name. A chill ran down his spine as he
searched the piercing darkness.

"Who goes
there?" Lucius cried. There was no response. He trembled while
he searched for movement of any kind. Nothing stirred.

Lucius stepped
away from the center of the room, heading toward the staircase
slowly. A metal squeak overhead followed by a thundering flap of
mighty wings alarmed him. Strong gusts of air from above rushed all
around his body. The fog was blown off the floor momentarily,
revealing scattered bones and bloodstains throughout the dungeon.
Lucius' knees buckled, and he hit the floor hard.

A guttural bellow
resonated in the darkness. The foul stench finally caused Lucius to
vomit. And as he did so, a huge beast descended upon him. Its large
talons crushed the pile of bones underfoot with a thunderous crack.
Lucius looked up to meet the behemoth's glare. Its eyes were intense
sapphires shining through the dimly lit room. The monster stood
upright on its back legs, spreading its wings at a span that nearly
touched the opposite walls of the room. Its breath reeked of death
and decay. Large fangs inside a jaw the size of a man's body formed a
wicked smile on the creature's face. Black scales adorned its body,
save for the monster's belly, which was a pinkish hue. The scales
shimmered in the dark. And as the creature craned its long neck, they
lifted to reveal gills like those of a fish. With a sudden jerk, the
creature folded its wings and inhaled deeply. It opened its jaw and
released the blue mist from its gaping gills. The mist floated down
above the floor and once again filled the halls of Arkadeus.

"Lucius, you
have come to me," the creature said, lowering its head and
staring at him.

"What do you
want with me, demon?" Lucius said, cowering before the monster,
which let out another laugh.

"I am no
demon. I am a dragon, fool! Kraegyn is my name, Lord of Arkadeus and
of all the aeries of Ghadarya. Fear my wrath, Ellyllei."

A dragon? Tales
of such great beasts had been told to Lucius as a child, but he
thought the dragons had vanished long ago. "Please, Lord
Kraegyn, have mercy. What does a dragon desire from me?"

"Mercy?"
Kraegyn grunted. "Mercy shall do you no good, Ellyllei.
Your flesh shall burn from the sapphire flame I spew, and none will
remember Lucius again!"

Kraegyn reared up
and spread his wings. The dragon's nostrils opened wide as he
breathed in the fog in the air. He let out a fierce growl, and blue
fire erupted from his jaw into the cavern above. The chamber's
immense height was revealed in the crackling flame. The walls climbed
nearly fifty feet, ending in an iron grate where the night sky peered
through. Between the grate and the room below, dozens of steel
perches protruded from the walls. Then they disappeared into darkness
when the dragon exhaled the last of its fire and quickly crawled on
all fours before Lucius.

Lucius ran toward
the staircase, but Kraegyn anticipated his plan and slashed at the
foot of the steps with the long claws of his wing arm. Lucius jumped
back to avoid the swipe and stumbled, falling backwards on the bones
of Kraegyn's victims.

"Foolish
boy! You will not escape this chamber, save through dust and ash!"
Kraegyn thrust his claw upon Lucius and pinned him with all his
weight. Lucius yelled in pain at the monstrous weight. He struggled
to free himself, but to no avail. He quickly realized he would die in
the dark chamber and endure the same fate as those he now lay upon.

"Be still
now, Ellyllei. You
will be one with your fathers and share their doom!" Kraegyn
said. The black dragon inhaled the remaining mist in the room and
snarled as his jaws gaped open.

Lucius felt the
blood drain from his face as flames ignited inside the dragon's
mouth. Kraegyn lifted his talons from Lucius' chest and propelled the
flame at his body. The fire singed his face and chest, delivering
torrents of agony throughout his body. Lucius screamed, but his voice
was drowned out by the sound of Kraegyn's laughter. Seconds later,
darkness overtook him.

Meet the Author :

Daniel Adorno is a fantasy and sci-fi author who occasionally blogs about

the independent publishing industry. Daniel was born in Puerto Rico and

moved to the state of Florida at an early age. He earned his Bachelor's

degree in history at a private Bible college in Minnesota and went on to

earn his master's degree in ancient and classical history. One of his

short stories placed him as a finalist for My Faith Radio's 2013 Writer's

Contest.

When he's not writing, Daniel likes to read speculative fiction and create

digital art for book covers. Daniel currently resides in Farmington,

Minnesota with his wife and two sons.

The author is giving away free copies on his website. Do check it out!!